Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
An author famous for her neopagan non-fiction work, has come up with a
science fiction novel. A fairly mundane effort, with the interest being
the different approach. A group in San Francisco resist a dictatorial,
technological society and try and do so non-violently, rather than
through war, secret agents or other methods. They try to maintain their
neopagan sort of outlook, unsurprisingly.
Other than that, pretty generic adventure structure, these guys are
obviously Good, almost unbelievably so at times, and the other guys are
Bad, no question.
Ecofeminist Utopia: Standing the Test of Time.......2007-07-13
I read Starhawk's first novel when it was first published (~1993), but had occasion to reread it for current research on the evolution of ecofeminist utopian literature since _Herland_ (Charlotte Perkins Gilman). _The Fifth Sacred Thing_ speaks most clearly to those who live in California, particularly those who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is depicted with fine detail in the text. This is, indeed, a utopian society in which the very finest social qualities of character must rise above short-sighted psychological tendencies of human beings. Starhawk insists that we question what we are capable of, how difficult it can be to do the right thing (i.e., what is best for the community rather than what is best for the individual), and to look within ourselves to understand our own strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, there is no question what she believes we must all do: Live in right-relationship to Earth/Nature, treat aspects of Nature with full respect and appreciation. The fifth sacred thing is "spirit" and it is this dimension of human beings that Starhawk believes we need to nurture and develop if the future of the Earth is to be healthy and in harmony. Most of the almost 500-page book is a page-turner in which the protagonists are in danger from others and, in some cases, from within. It is fascinating to read this and _Herland_, books which serve as bookends to 20th century ecofeminist utopian thought.
The Fifth Sacred Thing.......2007-06-03
In "The Fifth Sacred Thing" enormously popular Pagan author, Starhawk explores two possible futures. San Francisco is an oasis of spirituality, peace, and ecology, where poverty and hatred are non-existent. Southern California , by contrast is a nightmare society, with an oppression state religion where women are sold as property, children are bred for sex, and residents must steal water to survive. When these two cultures clash, the non-violent northerners must decide how to defend without compromising their values or integrity.
The basis of the novel is non-violent activism teamed with Pagan practice. Starhawk co-founded the Reclaiming Collective and in many ways the novel is a reflection of life if concepts were applied. It is both a story of political exploration as it is an innovative novel that explores love, magick, and the interconnectedness of all beings. The characters face real problems and the concepts of non-violence and magickal practice are challenged.
Moving, philosophical, and intriguing, "The Fifth Sacred Thing" is a story of triumph and hope. Starhawk weaves together rich characters and anarchist-ecofeminist ideology into a unique Pagan fantasy. It is a novel that challenges the dominant paradigm and urges us to evaluate what we hold sacred. Although sometimes unrealistic; Starhawk successfully creates a novel addressing important issues and inspires a vision of community, spirituality, and sustainability.
courtesy of Copper-Moon.com
Review of the fifth sacred thing.......2007-05-13
This book is a powerful story that is especially essential if you live in the Bay Area. I didn't put this book down. I could see the world she painted visually in my imagination. It gave me a more magical veiw point on the world.
I recomend this book to anyone with an open heart and a kindred spirit.
A powerful imagining of our way out of a very possible future.......2007-04-18
I read this book a few years ago and have since given a few copies away to friends. It is hard to categorize. It feels like it fits some science-fiction conventions, but it steadfastly (and radically) imagines a future where humanity isn't tied to more and more technology but master the inner and communal technologies (or ways of knowing) that allow for a real sustainable way of living. Some of the technologies she presents for an ecologically balanced urban future are staggering and made me want to see it put forth in a movie.
Unlike most science fiction that lazily imagines more machines doing the work of living, Starhawk has presented a future where humans more fully embody themselves and live in communion with nature. It's a staggering work. Her imagining of bee knowledge was intriguing to imagine and the mind-bending reality of dealing with the diverse cast of characters presented another teachable moment for me.
I will only add that the first chapter was the hardest. They also betray her freshman hand at writing fiction. But stick with it and the book will seriously reward you with some thought-provoking future-visioning.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Radical Teacher, published by Thomson Gale on December 22, 2005. The length of the article is 6446 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Teaching peace in the feminist classroom: Starhawk's The Fifth Sacred Thing.
Author: Laurie Fuller
Publication:
Radical Teacher (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 75
Page: 28(8)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
In her seventh outing for Miami crime reporter Britt Montero, Edna Buchanan (herself an erstwhile journalist for The Miami Herald) serves up a nice twist on a standard plot. The body of a beautiful naked woman floats in on the tide practically at Britt's feet, and it turns out to be that of a woman supposedly murdered a decade before by her wealthy husband. Most of the action focuses on freeing R.J. Jordan, the convicted killer, from his cell on death row. R.J., a handsome but decidedly unpleasant guy who maintained his innocence all along, isn't the slightest bit interested in apprehending his wife's killer. He's just happy her body turned up before he died for her murder. But Britt wants to know where Lily Jordan's been for the last 10 years, and why she came back to Miami just days before her husband was due to die.
To Britt's surprise, her own mother has an important clue, although it's all Britt can do to pry it out of her. Not only did the elegant, socially well- connected Montero matriarch know the victim, she even mentored Lily as she rose through the executive ranks of the Jordan family business. The new explications of the complicated relationship between Britt and her mother is a plus for fans of this bestselling series, who appreciate Buchanan's deft characterizations as well as her love for the city she has called home all her (and Britt's) life. As an extra fillip, there's Britt's growing relationship with the investigator who helped put R.J. away 10 years ago, a nice counterpoint to this ingenious updating of Double Indemnity. Buchanan's pacing is dead-on, as she stays one step ahead of even the most discerning reader right up to the explosive conclusion. --Jane Adams
Book Description
What was the nude, recently slain body of Kaithlin Jordan doing spoiling the pristine turquoise waters of Miami Beach -- especially when the dead socialite's convicted killer husband is sitting on Death Row for having murdered her...ten years ago! Reporter Britt Montero lives for this kind of story. But she may die for this one as well. Because each question raises many others -- and every hard-won answer reveals secret passions and explosive truths that could doom an overly inquisitive journalist with a tendency to leap before she looks.
Customer Reviews:
The ending ruined my day.......2007-07-26
This book has one of the worst endings I've ever read. It was my first Edna Buchanan book & after a few chapters I intended to read her other books. After reading the ending I won' be doing that! I finished this book with the impression that the author was either having a bad day when she was writing the ending or her editor insisted on the "surprise." The author does a great job develping the characters throughout the book and then has two of them, her current husband & her son, behave in a manner that is compledtely counter to the personalities she has created. I have given the book two stars because it was a great read until the final chapters.
Pretty darn good!.......2006-08-22
I definately enjoyed this novel by Edna Buchanan and can't wait to read another.
The beginning of the novel opens with the discovery of an unidentified woman on the beach. As the story evolves, the woman is identified as Kaithlin Jordan, who was murdered supposedly by her husband 10 years ago. Surprisingly, Kaithlin's death will exonerate her husband RJ, who was now on Death Row for her murder. What ace reporter Britt Montero would like to find out is "Why" has Kaithlin returned years later...was it to save RJ (whose execution was only weeks away) or for some other reason? Regardless, Britt is on the trail and coming closer to the truth than investigators. Overall the story is fast paced and very entertaining. We follow the tale as we learn more about "where" Kaithlin has been for the past few years,"why" she left and "who & why" someone killed her. I don't think that you will be surprised who the killer, but it is interesting to see how Buchanan develops the plot and characters to the point that you do second guess yourself.
The only two criticisms that I have about the story are simple: (1)I think that the "romance" elements in the story were weak, and (2) the one secret left intact should have been revealed. Issue #1..the romance...in the beginning of the story Britt appears to be in a relationship with a police officer, but by the end, she is in a semi-relationship with Fitzgerald, or is she. Because Buchanan does not give a lot of information about either of them, you simply don't care. And I guess that because it is not a romance novel but a suspense novel, she did not see a need to build or expound on it. My argument then would be to "leave it out". Issue #2...the secret..since the whole death and subsequent investigation was related to the secret..why not tell the person involved. I thought that that was a little "cheap" and seemed to chip at the integrity of the whole story, but I lived with it. Overall, with those criticisms aside, I still felt comfortable with giving it a 5 and plan to read another Buchanan novel soon.
A mystery about mothers and children.......2004-03-22
This book is a thrill ride -- a great mystery with some terrific plot twists. But, like the more recent ICE MAIDEN, it's also about more than murder. It starts with a murder victim who has a complicated relationship with her mother. Then there's the convicted killer whose relationship with HIS mother can only be described as tortured. Our heroine, Britt, finds that her mother, with whom she has a tense relationship at best, can offer insight into the case. There's another pivotal mother-child relationship that I won't go into because I don't want to spoil the plot twist. Read this book and you'll get more than a great mystery.
Wow!!!!.......2003-08-11
I can't believe that I have been reading as often and as many books that I have and never ran across her books before. I just finished "You Only Die Twice" in one day's time. I had purchased "Act Of Betrayal" from a library closeout and I liked it enough to buy this book. Now, I am searching for any and all of her books. I realize that there are a lot of Britt Montero, the reporter and that I will now be out of sequence, but that will not deter me. I intend to find them all.
Edna Buchanan has a new fan.......2002-05-25
This is my first Britt Montero Mystery by Edna Buchanan, and I'm hooked! The story involves a beautiful woman (naked at that) who washes onto a Miami beach, and for a while can't be identified. The police, and resourceful and beautiful reporter Britt Montero, know from the expensive jewelry, and finely tanned skin, and perfect nails this is no regular Jane Doe. Turns out she has already been reported murdered ten years ago, by her rich playboy husband who now sits on death row, and is two weeks away from the needle. Twists and turns in every chapter keep you turning the pages, and I couldn't help but be drawn in by Britt's first person narrative. I found myself finishing this book in two days, and staying awake late into the night to get to the final startling chapter! If you like fast reads, fun characters, and lots of twists this book is for you. I've already bought two more Britt Montero mysteries, and can't wait to read them!
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Deadpool #0 : You Only Die Twice (Wizard - Marvel Comics)
Joe Kelly
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
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ASIN: B000UGTT0Q |
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Dragon Hunter, Vol. 10
Hong Seock Seo
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
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ASIN: 1591829585 |
Book Description
*A fantasy drama appealing to readers of Dragon Knights and Sorcerer Hunters.
Fame, honor, and respect come with knighthood--but at what cost? Kok-Jung has been requested by Merlin to accompany him on a dragon hunt to capture Siegfried's Dragon. Merlin has some dark secrets and ulterior motives that only Beul-Hee knows about...but will she get the chance to tell Kok-Jung? Also, what exactly is the Wiseman's Stone and what power does it hold? Only Merlin knows, but his lips are sealed...
Book Description
In Secrets of the Sexually Satisfied Woman, Drs. Laura and Jennifer Berman offer up the secrets to female sexual satisfaction using data culled from their groundbreaking study, the National Womens Sexual Satisfaction Survey. Both experts on womens sexual health, the authors help women reach their ultimate passion level by encouraging sexual awareness and empowerment while addressing the psychological and medical factors that affect sexuality. The book provides specific and applicable advice to help all types of women improve their sex lives and heat up the bedroom.
Customer Reviews:
Dynamic Duo .......2006-02-23
Just picked this book up at my neighbor's yard sale. She read it, loved it, and sold it to me. I read the Berman Sisters first book and found it really informative. It actually changed my life because I went, with book in hand, to my doctor and got help. I was in menopause at age 38 and didn't know it. The Secrets book again makes me realize I'm not alone, and the word "normal" is relative to ME... not Samatha on Sex and The City. I commend the Bermans on their efforts and their dedication to helping women such as myself. If I could afford it, I'd fly to their clinic at UCLA to get a tune up every week.
Self Help Book Written by Urologist and Therapist.......2005-12-11
This book is more of a self help book than one that unlocks the ten keys to pleasure. Despite the title it doesn't give you 10 secrets to anything profound. Of course communication matters and it helps to feel good about yourself and the relationship. You also should probably address your past issues and have enough lubrication but this is sex ed 101 for most women. One fun quote, "whether you have had one, ten, or twenty sexual parnters, you feel okay about it".
It isn't a "bad" book just mistitled. The bulk of the book is in chapters (relationship health, emotional well being, addressing your past, etc)are typical of a self help book although they cover some hormonal treatments (viagra for women). Neither author is a GYN and the MD Jennifer is actually urologist so just be aware of your sources. They are great on TV and media mavens but they need a better editor and real content.
Their profound conclusion? That orgasm isn't the end all to women's sexual pleasure and the context matters.
Very Good Book.......2005-08-10
I appreciate the way the authors put the book together and it is filled with good information. It even covers diseases and disabilities and how these things affect sexuality.
Nuveen Basilis.......2005-04-19
I thought the book was great. I like having one comprehensive "go-to" for questions that come up in the confusing area of pleasure when kids, jobs, husband all seem to be at odds with it! I really enjoyed the chapters that focused on the emotional and relationship health side of things. The information about sexual empowerment was also a must for anyone who feels as though breast-feeding and exhaustion have brought this side of your life to an end. An excellent resource.
The Berman Sisters Do It Again.......2005-04-14
I was reluctant to believe I could learn anything new from this dynamic duo. AFter the first best-selling book and the media craze they've enjoyed in the last two years, I thought I had seen and heard enough. Well, NOT the case. While Secrets does contain some obvious details about women's sexuality, it did contain some relevant and exciting new data. I am a researcher and was thrilled to learn that the Berman's invested in doing a National Survey on this subject. Hopefully this will spur the FDA as well as other goverment funding agenceys to fund research in this much needed area. I commend the Berman's for their dedication to the field and their ability to communicate to the public. I recomend this book to women as well as their partners. I'm looking forward to the Secrets for Men.
Amazon.com
As a young boy living in Massachusetts, Mark Miller fell in love with the West while watching cowboy movies. His continuing passion for the frontier led to the opening of Red Sage, his award-winning Washington, D.C., restaurant, where both the cooking and the decor express a vision of the West and Southwest. In Red Sage, Miller combines 100 recipes for dishes from the restaurant's menu with 18 essays about his passion for the freewheeling, romantic, adventuresome Old West.
Miller is a chef whose cooking influences other chefs. Dishes he created at the Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, helped change the perception of what Southwest cooking can be. At Red Sage, he uses Western along with Southwestern ingredients, from fresh buffalo meat and oven-dried beef jerky to chiles and masa--the corn treated with lime that is traditionally used in making tortillas and tamales--to make bold-flavored, sophisticated dishes anyone can enjoy. Miller's culinary creativity shows in both simple and complex dishes. His Dried Apple-Guajillo Grits starts with a time-honored staple cooked in cider and milk, to which he adds hot chiles, tart-sweet fruit, and creamy grated cheese. For Braised Buffalo Short Ribs with Sage Polenta, a dish that highlights how Miller's cooking marries regional ingredients and dishes with traditional cooking techniques and outside ideas, the meat is simmered with dark beer, smoky chipotle chiles, and earthy dried mushrooms and counterpointed with the flavor of prunes, then served on the sage-perfumed polenta, an Italian version of the cornmeal on which American frontier families relied.
Red Sage is both a cookbook and a volume of substance. The essays, archival photos, handsome color shots of the food, and story of how Miller conceived his restaurant ensure that Red Sage will appeal to anyone interested in the American West and Southwest, the U.S. culinary scene, and boldly flavored food. --Dana Jacobi
Book Description
Red Sage in Washington, D.C., is Mark Miller's celebration of the wild, wild West, a restaurant where diplomats, locals, and even the president dive into platters of Ribs Glazed with Guajillo and Black Coffee Barbecue Sauce and hearty Cowboy Biscuits. Loaded with photos, this cookbook showcases the food and style that have made Mark Miller one of the country's favorite chefs.
Customer Reviews:
Good.......2002-10-15
that guy who wrote the derogatory one must live in a closet.
Interesting recipes. Difficult-to-obtain ingredients........2001-10-16
If you have easy access to squab, pheasant, loin of rabbit, quail, buffalo, antelope, Mexican oregano, blackberries, poblano chiles, gualjillo chiles, serrano chiles, chile molido, chile carib, chipotles in adobo sauce, Apaloosa beans, calypso beans, Steuben yellow beans, fresh hoja santa leaf, dry aged goat cheese, smoked gouda, chanterelles, Silver Queen corn, fresh marjoarm, fresh epazota, pumpkin seeds, cumin seeds, dried blueberries, huckleberries, etc., then you might find the recipes in "Red Sage: Contempoary American Cuisine" the kind that will give a fresh and creative twist to your culinary endeavors. Otherwise, you are likely find very little in this book that you can put to use in your kitchen.
Red Sage.......2001-09-10
Not only have I read the book, which is well written and quite insightful, but I have had the priviledge to create many of the dishes presented. The techniques are fairly simple for a seasoned chef, and the only trick is finding the ingredients if you live in a smaller town. One item I have discovered cannot be substituted is the can of chipoltes in adobo sauce. If you find them, buy many cans, as you will be using them often! The beauty of this book is the diversity of dishes featured. Vegetarians can find many recipes to entertain, and the poultry, game, and beef dishes are quite intriguing. This cookbook is fabulous, and I consider the recipes to be invaluable. A must for any cook!
Exquisite western cookbook!.......2000-11-29
Talk about a beautiful, well-done cookbook! I've cooked three recipes from this, and each was just spectacular in both taste and presentation. The difficulty in prep was medium, and he provides some alternative ingredients as well which really helps.
His balance between heat and sweet is sophisticated. Use of buffalo and antelope is remarkable. Takes me back to my western upbringing now that I reside in the midwest.
His anthropology background makes the surrounding test fascinating. Well researched and presented. Great read! Will become a favorite in my collection.
Recommended for contemporary American cooking & dining........2000-02-04
Mark Miller's Red Sage (provides a range of innovative dishes not to be found in competing cookbooks, based on fare invented for his restaurant. Spicy dishes are the trademark of the establishment and here a good dose of history - complete with vintage photos - is added to explain their origins. Enjoy Red Sage Vegetarian Bean Chili or Huckleberry Bread Pudding with Maple Custard Sauce in this collection of contemporary American foods.
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The Unauthorized Guide to Olympic Pins & Memorabilia (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Jonathan Becker , and
Greg Gallacher
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Coins & Medals
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ASIN: 0764314912 |
Book Description
Since the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896, the Olympics have grown to be among the most anticipated and watched events of any type in world. Today, almost 200 nations send athletes to participate in the Games and over a billion people watch on television. Just as the Olympics have grown, so has the collecting of Olympic memorabilia. Quite possibly the most international and fastest growing of sports hobbies, the exciting world of Olympic memorabilia includes pins, badges, medals, torches, posters, tickets, programs, books, souvenir items, and so much more. Included here are items from the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens, Greece, in 1896, through the games of 2000. Both Summer and Winter Olympic memorabilia is covered. With over 500 color photographs and an up-to-date price guide, this is the most complete Olympic memorabilia book available anywhere in the world. The perfect guide for any level of collector.
Book Description
"I can think of no recent book about traditional crafts which has delighted me more than Joel Monture's
Complete Guide to Traditional Native American Beadwork. All too often, books of this nature are either as boring as a repair manual, or obscure and inaccurate. Monture's triumph is that his book is not only the best and most complete book about virtually every aspect of Native American beadwork tools, materials, styles and methods, it is also clear, interesting reading. Written from the point of view of a Native master craftsman who is also a gifted teacher, and accompanied by striking full-color photos, it can serve as either a beginning point or a lifelong reference tool. I am confident that Monture's book will bring him wide praise, not only from beadworkers, but also from any person who delights in knowing more about the meaning and the history of an indigenous artform which is finally attracting the sort of critical attention and informed appreciation it deserves."
—Joseph Bruchac, author of Keepers of the Earth
- Includes all the basic stitches and designs
- Contains a special section on natural tanning methods
- Extensive glossary
- Full-color photos of authentic Native American beadwork
Customer Reviews:
Native American Beadwork & more!.......2006-03-16
This is a great book for those looking for authentic beadwork styles. The author covers a broad range of styles. He also discusses different backgrounds and even provides instruction for hide tanning.
Preserving tribal styles and techniques.......2004-09-18
The author, Joel Monture, is a professor of traditional arts at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. His thorough textbook documents not only native American beadwork techniques, but the tedious methods of leather preparation that are necessary prior to beading.
A San Antonio local artisan, Ken Yanez, is familiar with this process of scraping, lacing and brain-tanning leather. Ken befriended a native American while in the Marines and accompanied him home to the reservation during military leaves. There, an elder showed Ken some magnificent, old beadwork. Ken was surprised to learn that the tribal youth showed little interest, including his friend. Although Ken doesn't have sufficient native American ancestry to qualify for tribal membership, he made a personal commitment to learn these techniques. Ken's projects are authentically produced but cannot be labeled as "Indian made."
Why don't tribal youth show more interest in native American craft? Preparation for beading in the native American tradition, such as brain-tanning of hides, is labor intensive, although the results are buttery-soft, making the leather pliable for decorative beading and quilling. Because of the work and time involved, few of today's tribal youth want to perpetuate the craft. "Time" has become "money," so if there is interest in doing crafts in the classical tradition, it's to make some money. Ken will attest to the amount of time it took to make a cradle board for his son. He certainly couldn't sell it for a price to equal the months that he put into the project.
To offset the lack of interest in fine craft, author Joel Monture has captured the steps needed to recreate the obvious beauty inherent in native American beadwork. The book features 43 color plates of beadwork, including the styles of many North American tribes.
In one respect, Joel is preserving an anthropological record of the personal ornamentation used by various tribes by showing us the differences and similarities of style. To lose these tribal identifiers results in cultural homogeny and a disconnect with our human history. Joel's sense of history has led him to capture these artistic techniques before they are lost.
It's worth looking at........2004-07-15
I just got this book along with two others the other night. Haven't had the chance yet to read it completely yet. Having scanned it a bit though, I would say the section with color photos is good, particularly if you're a crafter looking for patterns. The text I've read up to this point is good and worth reading. I've had a little bit of a hard time with some of the diagarms though, particularly some of the ones dealing with hides and hide tanning. Not that I'm looking to tan hides right now, but I thought it would still be interesting to understand the process. Several of the stitch diagrams are easier to follow though. There are black and white photos as well in this book. Most came out fine, but I think a there are a few that must have had poor lighting.
beautiful book.......2003-03-31
i love indian art, traditional and contemporary. i have a small collection of northwest and inuit art. i have studied the histories of several nations. but i am not an indian. no matter how much study i may devote to indian arts and history, i will never be an indian, i will never have the intimate knowledge that comes from growing up in a culture. i would never presume to tell any member of any indian nation that his or her work was not 'traditional.'
and what, exactly, is tradtional? louise keyser, a washoe who died in 1925, created a new form of basket in the 1890s that was based on her tradition and her knowledge of other nations' traditions. this is what artists do--take what they know, build on it, and create new forms. after all, indians happily absorbed european beads into their 'traditions.'
i design my own knits, embroideries and beadwork. this book offers stunning photos and a good section on traditional color use which together give me a good starting point for my own creations and which is why i rate this book at five stars.
note on nomenclature: the indians i have known were not concerned about indian/native american. i object to native american since the indians migrated (IMmigrated) here just as everyone else has, albeit a few thousand years earlier. if i have offended any indian/native american by this use, i apologize. if a european doesn't like it, well....
Native Beadwork from a Native perspective.......2003-02-05
How interesting that the beadwork book chosen as more "authentic" by some here was written by a European from Germany! Mr. Monture is Six Nations (Mohawk, I believe) from New York State, & has taught Native Arts at the American Indian Arts Institute (a college *for* Native artists) for some years.
Again, its more about where you're from. Some could say it is 'romantized', as it doesn't go into how much work it actually is to produce hides, that its smelly, you need a lot of guidance & practice, etc.
Different tribes use different techniques, & this book is definitely written from a more northeastern tradition, perhaps difficult to appreciate as it is less known outside these communities. (Plains beadwork is usually what the mainstream usually recognizes as 'authentic'.)
That said, one probably needs a little background to get the most from this book. I do wish there was more discussion on color use and Great Lakes pattern development, but these are also skills which are best honed by doing. I enjoyed this book, which does pack a lot of information into relatively little space. The construction techniques are excellent!
Customer Reviews:
Path to Finding Technical Perfection..........2004-12-09
and that ain't an easy pathway to find, believe me. I love Barth's insistance on using only the most traditional methods, when there are multiple techniques that could be covered. His instructions are so clearly illustrated and explained that I've actually gotten a grip on a method that I have failed to understand for years and am presently using to cover a walking stick with - traditional style gourd stitch. Most books simply teach the two step method and don't even mention the older, three step method and when they do, their instructions tend to be so confusing that I end up with a stick wrapped in a tangled net of tiny beads and thread. But thanks to Barth, I finally get it!
The other methods he covers, lane stitch, loomwork, diagonal weaving and others, he covers with equal clarity and skill and I'm looking forward to using this book to upgrade my abilities and make my art jewelry better than ever!
If you buy one book to tell you how...buy this.......2002-11-11
In Europe, people dress up in buckskins, hang out in tipis and emulate the Native Americans of days gone more than a century and a half ago. Their attention to detail seems to be no less than compulsive, and this book is an ultimate product of this compulsion for authenticity, accuracy and completeness.
Barth has completed an instructional masterpiece of Native American Bead work that I give to experienced Native beaders to their astonishment. If you want to learn technique, buy this book.
Traditional Beading Techniques for the Modern Day Beadworker.......2001-09-21
I never received this book ~ Wondering why? ?
excellent source.......1999-02-20
I found the book to be one of the best sources of information pertaining the native- american -style beading, espeacially the transmontane beadwork. I have found there several hints and pieces of information I was looking for for several years. Thank you, Mr. Barth.
Very thorough handbook for Native American beadwork........1996-11-14
If you are interested in traditional Native American beadwork you won't find a better book than this one for making your work as close to traditional as possible. Georg goes into exhaustive detail on what materials to use, where to get them and the exact methods used by traditional Native American beadworkers. He has researched the subject thoroughly and has a very respectful attitude. This book is truly a labor of love
Book Description
This informative and easy to read book was written by noted author and editor Monte Smith and contains complete instructions on every facet of doing beadwork. Included is information on selecting and buying beads; materials used (and how to use them); an examination of Indian beadwork designs, their development, significance and uses, with special emphasis on tribal differences; step-by-step instructions on how to make your own beadwork loom, doing loom work and the variations of loom work; appliqu stitches including the lazy stitch, "crow" stitch, running stitch, spot stitch and return stitch; bead wrapping and peyote stitch; how to make rosettes; making beaded necklaces; and, a special section on beadwork edging.
The book features examples and photos of beadwork from 1835 to the present time from twenty-three tribes. Photos include beaded articles from the Apache, Arapaho, Assiniboine, Bannock, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Chippewa-Cree, Commanche, Cree, Crow, Flathead, Gros Ventre, Huron, Kiowa, Mohawk, Navajo, Ojibiwa, Omaha, Otto, Piaute, Pottawatomi, Sac & Fox, Shoshone, Sioux, Umatilla, Ute, Winnebago and Yakima tribes. There is also a section of notes, a selected bibliography and an index.
A time tested best seller. Anyone interested in the craft work of the North American Indian will profit from owning this book.
200 illustrations; 167 photographs; 4 pages in full color.
Customer Reviews:
Depends on what your looking for........2004-07-15
I just got this book the other night, so I haven't had the chance to thoroughly read it yet. So far, I think the text part is better than the photography. I find it easy to read and it seems to touch on several topics. Unfortunately, not being well versed in Native American/Indian history, I don't know how accurate that information is, so I'm no help in analyzing that part of the book. He seems to me to do a good job describing techinques, and the illustrations are helpful to me. If you're looking for good photos though, I would not recommend this book.
A Book for Beginners.......2000-08-23
Monte Smith has produced an excellent book for anyone wishing to begin authentic beadwork. He provides complete information regarding the materials and supplies needed. There is a lot of information about the technical aspects of this craft. The book has excellent illustrations on how to make the various stitches with beads on leather, which interested me the most. He has also included numerous photos of original artifacts that a person can use for design ideas. There is also a coded (by letters) reference under the photos which indicates the museums that have those items on display. The only improvement this basic book could have would be color photos which would be of help in selecting beads for a project.
Book Description
The great 18th century architectural artist and master engraver "Piranesi was as savage as Salvator Rosa, fierce as Michelangelo, and exuberant as Rubens… he has imagined scenes that would startle geometry and exhaust the Indies to realize." --Horace Walpole
One the greatest architectural artists of all time, and certainly the most famous copper engraver of the 18th century, Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778) is most known for his terrifyingly original series of etchings of labyrinthine and megalomaniac prisons, Carceri d'Invenzione. In his own day, he was most celebrated for his Vedute, 137 etchings of ancient and modern Rome; so renowned were these startling and dramatic chiaroscuro images, imbued with Piranesi's romantic feeling for archaeological ruins, that they formed the mental picture of Rome for generations after. Indeed, Piranesi could be said to have shaped a whole strain of contemporary architecture, as well as the wider visualization of antiquity itself. In our time, he has had a direct influence on writers such as Borges and Kafka and on filmmakers such as Terry Gilliam and Peter Greenaway. Anyone who contemplates Piranesi's etchings will confront the existential nightmare of human existence and its infinite mysteries…
Customer Reviews:
PIranesi - the Etchings.......2006-06-19
A startlingly inexpensive volume even at cover price, and a fine overview of the architectural visions of this singular illustrator. The size of the pages don't allow for the fullest, most detailed reproductions of the etchings, but for what is possible the quality is very good.
DON'T BOTHER.......2004-06-02
This book may have all of Piranesi's work, but the pictures are ridiculously small. I returned it the day it came in the mail.
The Definitive catalogue raisonne of Piranesi.......2002-07-05
Despite the minimal written information, translated from Italian into both English and German, this very generous book does indeed live up to its title of The Complete Etchings. Giovanni Battista Piranesi lived and worked in the mid 18th century, dreaming of architecturally recreating Ancient Rome. Thwarted from his grandiose dreams by practical matters of living, he found a viable outlet for communicating at least his visions by means of making some of the finest etchings the printing world has known. Concepts he could not translate into edifices became grand, eloquent and very personal prints which even today influence artists and stage designers, so atmospheric and rich are the renderings. Piranesi thought on the grand scale, and these many etchings demonstrate how his sense of space, of dark interiors with penetrating shafts of light, of temples, of prisons and prisoners, and even details of architectural elements of decor could become fine art. Though the amount of information about the man as written here is minimal, I doubt that there was much more to this man's biography, so absorbed he was with markings on copper plates. But the lack of biographical data is more than compensated for in the accompanying information on the pages with each etching. This is a fine addition to the libraries of artists, printmakers, architects, and yes, Dreamers! Well worth the price.
Complete survey.......2001-08-29
This book contains all the output of Piranesi, which is what accounts for its thickness. The display is almost purely visual, with only the most minimal of text. The illustrations are clear but fairly small for the most part. I use the book all the time in identifying Piranesis, and I suppose that any serious collector will want to own it. But for any further purpose it's not useful. The index, unfortunately, is totally inadequate and hard to use. The source of this problem (and it is a major one) is that the book is aiming for a readership that also includes Italian, French, and German readers, which means that text has to be minimal.
Taschen Bücher has done it again !.......2000-08-10
Yes, Taschen Bücher has done it again : a marvelous art book at an unbelievable price !
The Venetian Piranesi (1720-1778) prided himself on being an architect attributing to his profession the power to revolutionize the world, but oddly he never got the opportunity to build anything. Instead he developed an almost unparalleled mastery of the art of engraving and became an active archaeologist, a zealot defending the claim of Roman antiquity's architectural superiority to that of (a.o.) ancient Greece. He never realized his artistic ambitons : restoring Rome with architecture worthy of its ancient glory. Instead he had to economically support himself by publishing and selling an amazing amount of etchings.
The series he is most known for in our time are on the one hand the "Carceri", a set of darkly haunting fantastic prison scenes that plays with perspective in a way that preludes the work of Escher. On the other hand there are the "Vedute di Roma" : breathtakingly executed sights of Rome that exemplify Piranesi's vision of a dilapidated Rome at the same time in awe of and suffocated by its architectural heritage.
There is however far more to Piranesi's art, as is abundantly shown in these "Complete Etchings". Over a thousand etchings are grouped in this delightful book and they show the staggering breadth and depth of the artist's interests and ambitions. The reproductions are simply marvelous : shown on a cream coloured background the artwork is reproduced with a stunning clarity and sharpness. No postage stamp size plates in this edition (as in so many other ghastly illustrated "Complete Works" endeavours) : maximum two etchings are reproduced per page allowing the reader to fully savour the manic detail of these graphic jewels.
Moreover this publication offers, apart from a short biography, a delightful index of all of Piranesi's subject matters. This allows the reader to easily look up the different treatments of a single building throughout the artist's career. This provides some fascinating insights. Take for instance the Roman Pantheon - a subject that Piranesi has treated no less than nine times : seven times he gives a fairly accurate contemporary picture of the building, once he shows it in its full original splendour and once - in the "Vedute" series - the stage set designer completely takes over from the conscientious documentalist and we get a view of the building's pronaos that is such an exuberant exaggeration of the temple's actual proportions that the human figures seem like ants dwarfed by the dark and looming columns of the building. Fascinating...
Is there nothing negative to be said about this edition ? Well, yes, of course, but given the splendid value for money this book provides you with, all criticism looks a bit like nitpicking. Still, here goes.
I would have liked a bit more detail in the biography written by L.Ficacci, especially about the nature of the intellectual debate Piranesi was so involved in and how he was perceived by his conteporaries - not just his competitors in the engraving business, but by the different factions of scholars participating in the debate. The reason why he never got a real architect's commission is also something that is tantalizingly avoided in this text (although I can imagine that patrons would have shied away after one look at the architectrual fantasies he put on paper : they make the stage sets of Cecil B.DeMille look subdued...).
Another point of criticism is that this book lets us see the eye of the artist, but fails to let us hear his voice. The author points out that the etchings were often not separate works of art but were published together with texts that intensively referred to the prints. However, not a single example of Piranesi's writings is offered in the entire book and that is a pity.
Finally, leafing through this book one often wonders which of the buildings in the etchings have survived to this day and which ones have not, when have they disappeared, where was their exact location and what have they been replaced with ? No answers are offered here. We'll just have to wait for somebody else to make an architectural guide for Rome based on Piranesi's artwork.
Forget the last three alineas and rush out to buy this book. It offers a unique opportunity to get to an in-depth knowledge of the work of one of the most fascinating 18th century Italian artists. The plates, with their seemingly endless detail will provide you with hours of visual delight.
Average customer rating:
|
Piranesi: The Complete Etchings
Giovanni Battista Piranesi , and
John Wilton-Ely
Manufacturer: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Giovanni Battista Piranesi
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